Scotland’s Fourth Land Use Strategy

Feedback updated 18 Mar 2026

We asked

We published a consultation paper seeking views on the following key areas:

the role and positioning of the upcoming strategy
the establishment of a new high-level vision statement, a more inclusive thematic structure and the connections between policy areas
the role of spatial information to support multiple land-based targets and ambitions
a two-phased delivery approach to Scotland's Fourth Land Use Strategy

You said

We received 78 responses to the consultation of which 15 were from individuals and 63 from organisations. In these responses you:

agreed that Scotland’s Fourth Land Use Strategy should seek to influence policy makers and regulators in order to create an enabling environment that incentivises and/or supports land managers, communities and partnerships to further integrate land use/management
supported the proposed two-phased approach
agreed with the proposed approach to developing a new vision and integrated set of objectives for the Land Use Strategy
said you found the land cover map presented in the consultation paper helpful
emphasised the need for the use of mapping and data in support of the strategy to be developed further

We did

In response to your feedback we have published a Land Use Strategy which:

establishes an outcome-focused approach aligned with the outcomes of Scotland’s National Performance Framework and which draws together the range of existing land use related policy outcomes - by embedding these outcomes at the heart of the Strategy, we will create a platform that connects policies, priorities, and actions across the wider land-use system
contains a new vision to support the development of integrated land use
commits to the publication of a delivery plan based on the objective areas identified through consultation within 12 months
is supported by an evidence pack, published as an annex to the strategy, which provides a baseline of data and aims to increase the understanding of the interplay between landscape, land use and ecosystem services

Results updated 18 Mar 2026

If you would like to read an overview of the findings from this consultation, please access our Consultation Analysis Report on the Scottish Government website

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Overview

We are seeking your views on our proposed approach to the next Land Use Strategy (LUS). The proposals are set out in our consultation paper which you should read before answering the questions.

The LUS is a document that sets out our strategic direction and vision for sustainable land use in Scotland, and the objectives, policies and actions that will help deliver it. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 requires Scottish Ministers, by law, to produce a Land Use Strategy every five years. The first Strategy was published in 2011, the second in 2016, the third in 2021 and the fourth will be published by the end of March 2026.

Your response to the consultation paper will help inform our approach to the next LUS. Each section of the document includes:

a summary of the key elements of the draft LUS
a set of questions designed to gather your feedback and shape the final version
some questions revisit elements from previous LUS’s to assess whether updates are needed; others introduce new approaches aimed at bringing the Strategy in line with the evolving nature of land use
finally, we invite your input on equality and inclusivity, and we welcome contributions from anyone with relevant insights or lived experience

Read the consultation paper. The consultation paper contains full background information for this consultation. You may find it useful to read or refer to while responding.

Useful information about responding to this consultation Useful information about responding to this consultation

As you complete your response, each page will provide the option to 'Save and come back later' at the bottom. This means you can save your progress and return to the consultation at any time before it closes. If you don't use this feature and leave the consultation midway through, your response will be lost.

Once you have submitted your response, you can enter your email address to get a pdf copy of your answers sent to you.

On the 'About You' page at the end of this consultation, organisations will have the opportunity to tell us more about their work and/or how their response was informed.

After the consultation has closed there will be a few months delay before any responses are published. This is because we must check any responses to be published abide by our Terms of Use.

An analysis report will usually be published some months after the consultation has closed. This report will summarise the findings based on all responses submitted. It will be published on the Scottish Government website and you may be notified about it if you choose to share your email address with us. You can also join our consulation mailing list where we regularly list newly published analysis reports (as well as new consultations).

What happens next

We will analyse all insights shared with us and publish a reponse to the consultation. We will publish the fourth Land Use Strategy before 31 March 2026.

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